Silage process and product

Abstract

Forage crops such as perennial grasses, alfalfa, corn and sorghum in the wet or moist state are chopped into small pieces, a quantity of a composition consisting essentially of sodium diacetate and dehydrated whey is added, and the resultant mixture is placed in a storage container such as a silo and allowed to ferment to produce silage which is useful as an animal feed, especially for ruminant animals such as beef and dairy cattle.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows: 
     
       1. A process of making silage which comprises intimately mixing with moisture-containing chopped vegetation from which the silage is produced a quantity of sodium diacetate and dehydrated whey in synergistic proportions, and fermenting the resultant mixture, the proportions of sodium diacetate and dehydrated whey being sufficient to enhance the protein availability of the finished silage. 
     
     
       2. A process as claimed in claim 1 in which said chopped vegetation is a forage crop comprising one or more green fermentable substances from the group consisting of alfalfa, trefoil, clovers, annuals such as Sudan grass, sorghum, timothy, bluestem and corn stalks. 
     
     
       3. A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the moisture containing chopped vegetation contains at least 40% by weight water. 
     
     
       4. A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the quantity of sodium diacetate is within the range of 0.5 pound to 20 pounds per ton of silage and the dehydrated whey is at least 15% by weight of the total sodium diacetate and whey. 
     
     
       5. A composition for use in making silage consisting essentially of a mixture of sodium diacetate and dehydrated whey in which the quantity of sodium diacetate comprises 40 to 75% by weight and the quantity of dehydrated whey is at least 15% by weight, the remainder being inert ingredients which have no substantial effect on the silage process when the composition is used in making silage. 
     
     
       6. A composition as claimed in claim 5 in which said inert ingredients comprise one or more antihumectants. 
     
     
       7. A composition as claimed in claim 5 in which said inert ingredients comprise an anti-dusting factor. 
     
     
       8. A product resulting from the process of claim 1. 
     
     
       9. An animal feed for herbivorous animals comprising a product as claimed in claim 8. 
     
     
       10. A process of feeding herbivorous animals which comprises feeding such animals a product as claimed in claim 8.